


Forever Pink

by eirana



Series: #krisallenpinkranger [3]
Category: American Idol RPF
Genre: if this were a complete fic and not just one scene, the kradam is more what would've been
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-01
Updated: 2020-05-01
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:48:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,718
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23944195
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eirana/pseuds/eirana
Summary: The opening scene of what would've been the thrilling conclusion to the #krisallenpinkranger saga.
Relationships: Kris Allen/Adam Lambert
Series: #krisallenpinkranger [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/18662
Comments: 3
Kudos: 6





	Forever Pink

**Author's Note:**

> About ten years ago, a friend said #krisallenpinkranger should be a thing, so it was. I know this fandom’s beyond dead, but I read a Power Rangers au recently and I felt nostalgic. This is the first scene of what would have been a long slow burn get back together fic.
> 
> This has been lurking in my WIP folder for almost a decade, so in honor of #krisallenpinkranger’s ten year anniversary, here’s their ten year high school reunion.

They leave, because it’s what Rangers do. They do their job and save the day, but eventually they all move on. Sometimes it’s a planned exit. They’re prepared and able to say their goodbyes. It’s hard to see people leave, but they understand. Sometimes they just go. They cut all ties without a word. The rest of them pretend it doesn’t sting, like it isn’t a betrayal.

Regardless of how they leave, they all do eventually. Simon tells each and every one of them one thing before they go out into the world without him, Ryan, or the Power Rangers: once a Ranger, always a Ranger.

-

There are worse things than being back in Angel Grove. Kris knows that, but it’s hard to believe when he’s standing in front of the doors to Angel Grove High. He hasn’t had a reason to come back in years. His parents had moved back to Arkansas after he graduated, and any friends he’d had in town left a long time ago.

Kris takes a deep breath and reaches for the door. He spent the majority of his teen years fighting alien monsters and saving the planet on a daily basis. He can handle his high school reunion. Kris doesn’t really believe that either, but maybe if he says it enough times, it’ll be true.

It’s almost anticlimactic when he steps inside and it looks exactly the same. The walls are still covered in posters advertising every kind of club imaginable in a vain attempt to hide the way its turquoise hue clashes completely with the yellow linoleum floors. Mr. Jackson is still the principal, and Ms. Lopez is still head secretary, ruling the school with an iron fist. Kris even recognizes a dent in the wall from an incident his senior year involving soccer balls and a giant birthday cake.

He heads towards the gym, passing his old locker on the way. Kris slows down as he nears it, irrationally disappointed that no one’s waiting there for him. He’s not sure why or when, but his locker had been their designated meeting spot. Kris would always be the last to arrive. He’d get there to find Allison rummaging through his locker--despite never giving her his combination--with Megan’s help, Matt egging them on while Anoop rolled his eyes from the sidelines.

(And after it became the six of them, Kris never minded getting there last. Adam had liked to wait outside Kris’ last class and whisk him away to the nearest empty room. They’d meet up with the others almost a half hour after the last bell, short of breath and grinning.)

Kris stands in front of his locker with a fond smile. He tugs at his dress shirt, a pink so pale it’s practically white. He doesn’t miss a lot about high school, but sometimes that nostalgia creeps in.

“Get the fuck out. Kris?”

He turns around and there’s Megan, looking radiant in a deep blue dress. Her hair’s chin-length now, and there’s an elaborate tattoo covering her right arm. Her smile is just as beautiful as he remembers. Kris can’t help smiling back, readily accepting the warm hug she gives him.

“You look great,” he says, squeezing her tight.

“You still give the best hugs,” Megan sighs dreamily. She pulls away, keeping her hands on his shoulders, looking him over with a critical eye. “Somebody’s put on some muscle. And you look…groomed. Oh my god, did someone finally introduce you to the wonders of manscaping? Tell me, tell me now!” Megan squints at his shirt. “Is that pink?” she says with a sly grin.

Kris flushes. “Maybe? It was the only nice shirt I had!” he says defensively.

Megan scoffs. “Sure. Makes me feel better about the dress I almost wore before I found this one.”

“Was it yellow?” Kris says.

“I looked like a daffodil,” Megan admits. “The nostalgia factor almost won me over, but I decided against it. Maybe I shouldn’t have. But pink suits you far more than yellow ever did me,” she says with a sly grin, linking their arms together. “Are you ready for this?”

Kris shrugs. “Maybe. I’m mostly freaking out about how it still looks exactly like it did ten years ago. Don’t they ever renovate this place?”

Megan snorts. “With Jackson still in charge? Please. He loves this hideous color scheme too much to let it go.”

They walk in comfortable silence to the auditorium. Stepping inside gives Kris a distinct sense of déjà vu. The decorations are either eerily similar to the ones they used at his senior prom, or they’re the same ones.

Megan giggles. “Oh my god, I can’t believe they still have these awful streamers.”

“I know, right?”

They turn around and there’s Matt, without a fedora and in a suit and tie, of all things. Megan drops Kris’ arm to launch herself at Matt, almost taking them both down. Kris waits for them to regain their balance before claiming his own hug. Matt holds him for a second too long before letting go, giving him a wistful smile.

“Kris Allen, as I live and breathe,” he says. “You look good.”

“Thanks,” Kris says with a shy smile.

Megan rolls her eyes. “Now that we’re done with the awkward reunion part,” she says, grabbing them both by the hand and dragging them to a nearby table, “how have you guys been?”

Matt talks a little about how he’s been working at a piano bar then mentions he’s been seeing someone for a while. “She was going to come with me, but she had a work thing she couldn’t get out of. She’s good for me.” He grins, like he’s in on a joke that they aren’t. “Always has been.”

Megan beams. “Good for you, Matt. And you, Kris? Anyone special?”

He shakes his head. “Not for a while. I’ve mostly been doing the struggling musician thing.” The less he says about his love life, or lack thereof, the better. “And what about you, hmm? I see that ring on your finger.”

Megan’s smile grows impossibly wider. “Three years ago. We got married around Christmas. It was beautiful and I froze my ass off. His family lives in Boston so I was subjected to an east coast winter.” She shows off her engagement ring, a star sapphire on a platinum band. “Was worth it. Oh, and I’m a mom!” She pulls out her phone and starts showing off pictures of a smiling blond toddler. “He’s an angel. You guys should visit sometime.” Megan sighs. “It’s good to be together again.”

“Not exactly the complete set,” Matt says. “Either of you heard from Anoop?”

Kris shakes his head. “I haven’t heard from anyone in years.”

Megan cuffs him on the back of the head. “Not our fault you disappeared off the face of the planet. Wait, I think I see him. Anoop! ANOOP!” She waves her arms wildly, ignoring their pained cries when they get caught in the crossfire.

As always, her methods get their target’s attention. Anoop walks over to their table and bears Megan’s forceful hug with a lot more grace than Matt did. “The only thing weirder than the time capsule this town appears to be in is the complete lack of Ranger colors at this table,” Anoop says as he takes a seat. Kris tactfully doesn’t point out his yellow tie.

Matt slings an arm around Anoop’s shoulders and drags him onto the chair next to him. “What are you talking about? My boxers are green. It totally counts.”

“Kris is wearing a pink shirt,” Megan adds helpfully, giving him a saccharine smile.

“I hate you all,” Kris says without any heat.

They’re crowded in close, laughing and talking about what they’ve been up to since they left. It feels like just yesterday they were living in each other’s pockets. Kris stuck around for a few years after high school, but Megan, Matt, and Anoop passed their Morphers on to new Rangers and got the hell out of Angel Grove. They tried to keep in touch, but it became all too easy to drift apart when they’d stopped fighting alongside each other.

“Has anyone talked to Allison lately? It’s been too long since I’ve seen that girl,” Megan says.

Matt starts fiddling with his phone. “Spoke to her a couple hours ago. She’s sorry she couldn’t make it tonight. She really wanted to see all of you.”

“Why would she come tonight? She didn’t graduate the same year as us,” Anoop says, trailing off at the bug-eyed looks on Kris and Megan’s faces. “What? Did I miss something?”

“You’re dating Allison?!” Megan says, leaning over Kris to grab Matt’s lapels and haul him closer. “Team Leader Allison? Bright red hair, doesn’t know how to text coherently, lives off of caffeine Allison?”

“Actually, her hair’s purple right now,” Matt says weakly. “She likes to change it up every few weeks.”

Megan glares. “Irrelevant. How could you not mention that your girlfriend is Allison?”

Matt blinks, eying the hands she has clenched on his shirt. “Can’t imagine what reason I could possibly have for not mentioning it. You’re such a calm, rational person who doesn’t ever get over-invested in the love lives of her friends.”

Anoop coughs to hide a chuckle and Kris turns away so Megan won’t see his grin. She lets go of Matt, pouting. “But it’s Allison! Why shouldn’t I be invested? You couldn’t have done that when we were still in high school? We could have gone on group dates! All six of us,” she says. Her eyes flick towards Kris, hesitant.

It’s silent after that, no one willing to break the sudden tension. Eventually the topic had to come up, but Kris had been hoping it wouldn’t. Where’s a monster attack when you need one?

The auditorium doors get ripped off their hinges and flung to the other side of the room, crashing into the sound system and cutting the music off with a violent shower of sparks. Kris reaches for his wrist reflexively before remembering that that’s not an option anymore. He feels a little better about it when he sees the other three did the same.

Megan shoves the table onto its side, using it as a makeshift barricade. She grabs Matt and Kris, shoving them behind the barrier before walking off to help people evacuate. Kris peeks around the table then slaps a hand over his mouth to muffle the hysterical laugh.

“That bad?” Matt says, putting a hand on Kris’ shoulder for support as he leans up to get a glimpse. “Oh my god,” he says, choked, going back behind the table and shaking with laughter.

Anoop rolls his eyes at them. “It cannot possibly be worse than sentient Jell-O,” he says as he gets to his feet. “We need to stop hiding back here and go help Meg--” Anoop blinks, stares, then slowly sits back down. “I’m too old for this.”

Kris pats his shoulder. “Man up, Desai. We were Power Rangers. We handled weird stuff like this on a daily basis.”

“Yeah,” Anoop says, “ _ten years ago_.”

Kris shrugs. “We’re here now and we know how to deal with this. Megan may need help getting everyone out of here.”

The three of them stand up, Matt leaning heavily on Anoop as he gets another clear look at the themed monstrosity of the day.

It’s a party hat. With teeth. A giant, sparkly party hat with teeth.

It stomps over to a speaker and picks it up in its stubby arms, gnawing on it. Its teeth make an awful grinding sound as it chews, the demolished speakers sparking in its gaping mouth. A small group by the stage tries to make a run for the exit, but it turns towards them, raising an arm in their direction. It flings a fistful of glitter at them and they all collapse onto the floor.

Kris takes a deep breath. “Let’s do this,” he says, grabbing a chair. “If I don’t make it, don’t let them make my obituary too ridiculous.”

“Death by party hat doesn’t sound good no matter how you phrase it,” Matt points out.

“You know what I mean,” Kris says, lifting the chair over his head. “See you on the other side.” He charges at the hat before either of them can say anything. Kris rams right into it, the chair crumpling like tissue paper when it makes contact. It flails an arm at Kris and he goes flying, colliding with the punch table. His head spins as he tries to get back on his feet. Through the haze, he sees Megan running over to help Matt and Anoop carry the unconscious people out.

The hat trudges towards Kris, teeth bared in a menacing smile. He looks around, and for lack of anything better, hurls the half-full punchbowl at it. It stops briefly to shake itself dry but keeps coming closer. The hat’s cornered Kris on the other side of the auditorium, away from the exit. He takes a couple steps back quickly, fending it off with a ladle as he looks for an alternative escape route. Kris’ back hits the wall. He smacks the hat with the ladle, but it bites down and swallows it whole.

Kris stares with wide eyes as it lumbers closer. 

“Hey, ugly!”

Something hits the hat and it staggers, turning around and letting out a shrill screech as it runs towards its attacker. Kris lets out a breath and sags against the wall. Death by party hat would’ve been the most ridiculous way to go. He takes a couple seconds to breathe but another shriek makes him look up.

Kris closes his eyes, opens them, and, yep, still there. There are definitely Power Rangers in the gym.

“Hey! You okay, sir? You need to get out of here.”

Kris blinks up, _waaaay_ up, at the Red Ranger. “Fine. I’m fine,” he says absently. “Didn’t know Rangers were still a thing.”

“We are!” he says. Kris is pretty sure there’s a huge grin under that helmet. “You better get out of here. Before that thing notices you again.”

“Right,” Kris says. “Thanks for saving my butt.”

“No problem!” he says cheerily before running over to the fight, firing some sort of laser at the hat.

Kris stumbles over to the exit, keeping an eye on the battle and hoping it stays far, far away from him. Everyone else seems to have cleared out. Good to know those monster evacuation drills still work. Kris takes another look at the fight, just to make sure he’s still in the clear, and sees a miniature party hat coming right at him, so fast it’s almost a blur. Kris’ hand reaches out reflexively and grabs it before it hits him. The razor-sharp tip is inches away from his heart.

That was way too close for comfort.

The hat starts beeping. Kris’ eyes widen. He drops it as the beeping escalates, taking a few steps back. Kris covers his face with his hands as it pops with a bright flash and a loud bang. He puts down his hands and blinks. Everything in a three-foot radius is absolutely covered in pink glitter—including Kris.

Glitter’s okay, though. Kris can handle glitter. He loses his balance as his vision starts to spin. Kris stumbles towards the wall but the glitter’s effects are getting to him. He bangs his head against the wall as he crumples to the floor.

One of the Rangers runs towards him, taking Kris gently into their arms.

“Kris? Kris, I need you to stay with me for just a little longer. You okay? That hit looked pretty bad.”

“Fine,” he slurs, head lolling against the Ranger’s shoulder. “Sound familiar. Know you?”

“Not important,” the Ranger says, gingerly prodding at Kris’ head. “You’ll be okay. Just need to get you to Ryan. He’ll look you over and you’ll be fine.”

“Mmm,” Kris says, his eyes fluttering. Keeping them open is getting harder and harder. That glitter works fast.

“Kris? Kris!”

That panicked note pings something in Kris’ memory. He forces his eyes open.

“Ad’m?” Kris mutters, on the edge of sleep.

“Yeah,” he whispers. “It’s me.”

Kris really should’ve skipped this reunion.

**Author's Note:**

> And then idk some nefarious plot causes a massive crossover between the Ranger teams and it eventually brings them back together. The rest of this fic may never exist, but I feel this scene's complete enough to send out into the world.


End file.
